Boys' Town end
second-round drought

Tivoli Gardens' Raymond Williamson (right) and Boys' Town's Garfield Gillespie are sent flying after a collision among the midfielders as they battle for the ball during the Red Stripe Premier League football match at the Edward Seaga Sports Complex yesterday.- Ian Allen/Photographer

Ryon Jones, Staff Reporter

It took the additional motivation of the west Kingston derby to propel Boys' Town to their first win in six second-round games as they got by Tivoli Gardens 2-1 in their Red Stripe Premier League football meeting at the Edward Seaga Sports Complex yesterday.

Boys' Town found the net through strikes from Marvin Stewart (12th) and Nicholas McMorris (57th) to bring their goal tally in the last seven league games to a mere three.

It was the first loss in seven games for Tivoli, which had entered the game in sixth position on 26 points. Boys' Town started the game in eighth place with 23 points, but are now even with their neighbours.

The Red Brigade coach, Andrew Price, was pleased to see his team - which had lost their last four games on the trot - finally stem the tide and is hoping they can now push on.

"I am happy that this game was a west Kingston derby because I don't have to motivate my team to come and play," Price said. "I think it was a good game of football. We gave as much as we got from Tivoli Gardens. But I am happy for the three points, and I hope that this changes the momentum of the team."

Boys' Town started the sprightlier of the two and caught the Tivoli defence sleeping in the 12th minute to score when they took a quick free kick after Oneil Thompson was fouled in the middle of the park. The quick-thinking Garfield Gillespie played through Stewart, who slotted past Edsel Scott, Tivoli's helpless goalkeeper.

Captain Michael Campbell got a glorious opportunity to double his team's advantage in the 25th minute after breaking away on goal, but Scott was quick off his line to block the shot from point-blank range.

Boys' Town's custodian, Kirk Porter, for the second consecutive game, had a lapse in concentration when he dropped a ball at the feet of Tivoli's Raymond Williamson at the 31st minute. Asrick Samuels was, however, on the line to brilliantly save Porter's blushes.

Tivoli came out a more attacking unit in the second half, but it was Boys' Town that doubled their advantage when Gillespie, who had on two occasions in the first half headed straight at Scott, finally found the net from a left-sided free kick delivered by Campbell.

The Glendon 'Admiral' Bailey-coached Tivoli continued to dominate the half and got a deserved consolation goal in the 86th minute when 76th minute substitute, Davion Garrison, netted with a diving header.

"We played a more attacking second half. We pulled back one (goal), but we could not find the second goal," Tivoli's assistant coach, Alvin Shaw, said. "But we haven't lost sight of our goal, which is short term, the end-of-second-round-final and long term, the league."